Forever?
by Joe's girl
Summary: Can Tony and Michelle ever be together again? Story is complete. WARNING! Season 4 spoilers. If you haven't seen the 12pm episode and don't want to know what happens, don't read this!


_Just something I put together after I first saw Tony in the 1-2pm episode. All future episodes have to be ignored. Hope you enjoy it. I hate to beg (actually, I don't. I'm totally shameless when it comes to reviews) PLEASE review. I just like to know how many people read even if you don't really want to review._

Audrey put her head back against the headrest and looked out the passenger side window of the SUV as a dark LA passed by. Her mind was completely overloaded with all that had happened in the last 36 hours. In a mere 24 hours she and her father had been kidnapped and she had been shot at more times than she cared to remember. The day ended early this morning when her estranged husband Paul tried to kill her and Jack had been forced to shoot him. He would live, but he would be charged with attempted murder.

More than once today she thought she was going to die, but she had only really given up all hope once. That was when she and Jack were pinned down in the garage of the Fellsted Security building and they were both out of ammunition. It was then that, seemingly out of nowhere, Tony appeared. Audrey heard four quick shots and the two assailants both dropped to the ground. Audrey ran with Jack and Tony to the car purely on instinct. She was too scared to think about what she was doing.

Tony jumped behind the wheel, started the car and the three of them sped away from the scene. It wasn't until they knew that they were safe that Jack introduced Audrey to Tony Almeida. Audrey recognized the name immediately from news reports about a year and a half earlier. She didn't know all of the details, but knew that Almeida was charged with treason and had escaped from federal custody following a bail review hearing in which the judge decided to hold him without bond until his trial citing concerns that his military and CIA training made him a flight risk. Obviously the judge's concerns were well founded as Tony was able to escape between the courthouse where the hearing was held and the federal lock-up a half mile away.

Tony literally disappeared into the shadows. Federal officials assumed that he had headed for Mexico and eventually Central America or possibly South America to one of the countries that did not have an extradition treaty with the U.S. The borders and ports were closely monitored but Tony never surfaced. The truth of the matter was that Tony never left LA. He sat virtually under their noses without their ever coming close to capturing him. Tony suspected that some of the federal agents charged with searching for him had no real desire to find him and thus, made a show of it and talked a good game to the media and to their superiors, but really weren't trying all that hard.

In the meantime, the only person Tony had any contact with was Jack. Although Jack had no hand in Tony's escape (despite the fact that Brad Hammond and others were sure that he did), he and Tony had been working together for over a year. Ever since Jack started working for the Secretary of Defense, he had used Tony as a hired gun. When the Department of Defense needed a covert operative somewhere in the world where they didn't have one, Jack called on Tony. His name was not on the books anywhere. He was paid out of a discretionary account that Jack controlled. Payment was made to a numbered bank account that only Tony had access to.

In the past year, Tony had gone to Afghanistan to kill a tribal leader that was helping to recruit terrorists for a rogue cell. He had been in more than one of the Russian Republics to deliver equipment to rebels that the U.S. was secretly backing. He had also done work for Jack in Syria and Indonesia. Each time he was paid handsomely via the numbered account and each time he had come home to LA still a fugitive from the U.S. government. Jack had tried repeatedly to get the Secretary of Defense to talk to the president about pardoning Tony but Secretary Heller had continued to refuse. Heller knew nothing of Tony's covert activities and Jack couldn't tell him. Heller simply would not agree to having a fugitive working under the table for the government.

Audrey was shocked when Jack introduced her to Tony. "Tony Almeida!" she said incredulously. "The fugitive?" She like most Americans knew little about the charges brought against Tony. From what little she heard on the news, she assumed that Tony was guilty of treason and her strong sense of justice told her that he should be in prison.

"That would be me," Tony said mildly. He had come to terms with who he was and what other people thought of him. It no longer bothered him. He was bitter, but only because his underground status prevented him from being with Michelle.

Audrey looked at Jack. "You've been in contact with a known fugitive and you never contacted the authorities?" she said with disdain.

It was that that Audrey saw something in Jack's eyes that she had seen before, but never directed at her. It was anger.

"Don't be so self righteous, Audrey. Tony just saved your life. Don't kid yourself; we were about to die. We were trapped; we had no way out. We were out of ammunition and two guys with plenty of ammo were going to find us in a matter of seconds. I couldn't even let myself think about the condition your body was going to be in when your father got it back."

Audrey swallowed hard. Jack was right and she knew it. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I wasn't thinking."

As the day progressed, Audrey's opinion of Tony quickly changed. In a matter of hours, she went from having a grudging respect for him to wanting to find a way to help him. He had saved her life and continued to help Jack throughout the day with little regard for his own life. They eventually had a few quiet minutes together in which Tony told her of his love for his wife and his one desire, to have her back again if only to tell her that he loved her one more time. It was knowing that Michelle was still in LA that kept Tony coming back. It would have been safer for him to hide in another country, but the hope that he might see her again made him return to LA again and again. He never sought her out or made any attempt to contact her. It would have been easy enough to do that, but he couldn't risk it. Instead, just knowing that they shared a city was enough to make LA his home.

Jack and Audrey finally said goodbye to Tony in the middle of the night. When they did, Audrey hugged him and kissed his cheek and told him that when they got back to Washington, she would again plead his case to her father. Tony thanked her but didn't look like he believed that anything would come of it.

Now at 8pm, less than 24 hours since last seeing Tony, they were on their way to his hideout to offer him freedom. It wasn't exactly freedom without strings attached, but it was better than the life he was living right now. Jack and Audrey were both sure that he would accept the offer. So sure, in fact that the two of them and Audrey's father had spent the last 12 hours when they should have been sleeping off the last terrible day, hatching an elaborate plan and calling in favors.

The plan had taken definite shape by 3pm after dozens of cups of coffee to keep them awake and countless telephone calls to multiple countries. At 4 o'clock, Jack and Audrey left Secretary Heller at their hotel, thanking him profusely for all of his help. The two of them continued to their next destination: they needed to talk to Michelle.

They drove about a half hour to a pretty frame house in the suburbs. It was well kept with a neatly trimmed lawn like that of its neighbors. A small SUV sat in the driveway. They ascended the porch steps and Jack rang the bell. The door opened and Michelle smiled broadly surprised to see Jack. She was as pretty as ever, but Jack thought she looked tired. Her hair was pulled simply into a loose ponytail, some wispy curls surrounded her face.

"Jack! What are you doing here?" she asked him as she hugged him.

"Hi, Michelle. I was in LA and I wanted to talk to you," he told her. He introduced Audrey to her and the women exchanged greetings. Michelle acknowledged that she had seen Audrey's picture on the news and she was happy to see that Audrey was safe.

"We don't want to take up too much of your time, Michelle, but we'd like to talk to you for a minute."

"Don't be silly, Jack," Michelle said as they sat down in the living room. "I'm happy to have you."

"Michelle, Audrey and I are here to offer you a proposition."

"A proposition?" Michelle asked shaking her head. "I don't understand."

"If you are interested, we have arranged to reunite you and Tony, give you new identities and relocate you to another country." Jack paused for a moment. "There's one major drawback, Michelle. If you go along with this and we relocate you, there is no turning back. You can't talk to anyone before you go. You can't tell your family."

Jack continued, "I would need you to pack a bag or two now to take with you. Everything else has to stay here. You will basically abandon your old life. I can let you talk to your parents over a secure line once you are en route so they know you're safe, but they can't know where you're going and you won't be able to contact them in the future. Over the next few months they will be given the name of a contact who they can call if you have to be notified of serious family news such as a death." Jack stood and walked over to Michelle who sat alone in a wing chair. He put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. "I know this is a big decision, Michelle, and I don't mean to rush you, but if you want to do this, I need to know within the next couple of hours."

"Has Tony agreed to this?"

"Tony doesn't know anything about it. I thought I should talk to you first. If you agree, I'm sure he will, too."

"Where will you relocate us?"

"You'll go to a rural area of Australia, not remote, but rural. We'll set you up in a business to get you started. Once you get settled, you can decide if you want to stay in that area or move elsewhere in the country. That will be your choice."

"Are we allowed to leave Australia?"

"We can't stop you from leaving, but you'll do it at your own risk. You can probably safely travel throughout the South Pacific and Asia. Europe would be a little riskier. I would have to advise against ever trying to enter the U.S. Tony's picture is going to be on 'Wanted' posters for a long time. If you get caught with him, you are going to be charged as an accessory."

Michelle looked at the floor.

"I know this is hard, Michelle. Feel free to say 'no'. I will never tell Tony that I offered this to you, but whether you accept or not, I'm going to offer it to him."

"Jack, I want to go more than anything in the world, but it's a little more complicated than you realize."

"What do you mean? What are you talking about?"

Michelle stood up. "Let me show you," she said and she indicated for Jack and Audrey to follow her up the stairs.

Once upstairs, Michelle pushed open a partially closed bedroom door and stepped inside. She put her finger to her lips to silence Jack and Audrey. The room was a soft shade of yellow and decorated with birds and butterflies.

"Meet the complication," Michelle said softly as she stood next to a white crib.

Jack and Audrey gazed down at a beautiful baby girl about nine or ten months old that was undeniably Tony's daughter. She had light olive skin and thick black curls.

"This is Julia," Michelle told them.

"Michelle, I had no idea. Why didn't you tell me?" Jack said softly. "Does Tony know?"

Michelle shook her head. "I didn't know I was pregnant until about four weeks after Tony escaped from custody. The reason I didn't tell you was that I knew you had contact with Tony even though you denied it. I was afraid that if I told you, you would slip sometime and mention it. I knew that if he knew we had a child, that he would want to see her. I was afraid that he would try something stupid and get caught. So I thought it best not to tell you. I'm sorry, Jack."

Julia began to stir and Michelle motioned for the three of them to leave the room. "She's a bear if she doesn't get her full nap," Michelle told them as they went back down to the living room. "So the answer is 'yes' I want to go, but I'm not sure how Julia affects your plans."

"I don't know either, Michelle, but if you're sure you want to go, I'll make some phone calls and try and get it worked out."

Jack got on the phone and within a half hour he had the answer: Julia was only a minor complication and arrangements could be made to have her included in the relocation. They all needed to be at the airport by midnight if they were going.

By 7 o'clock the car was packed and Jack backed out of Michelle's driveway. Audrey sat next to him and Michelle and Julia were in the back seat.

"Michelle, are you sure about this?" Jack asked for the hundredth time.

"Stop, Jack," Michelle laughed. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life. I just hope Tony agrees. You know how stubborn he can be."

Jack glanced up in the rear view mirror to see Michelle. Her smile was so bright and contagious that he couldn't help but smile back. "Ok, if you're sure, here we go."

They made one stop to pick up all of the necessary paperwork and were back on the road and on their way to Tony's house by 7:30. Michelle settled in trying to calm the butterflies in her stomach by playing with Julia. She didn't know why she was so nervous. She had wanted to see Tony for the last 18 months and now she would get her chance. But what if he didn't want her back or if he refused to relocate? What would she do then? That thought had never crossed her mind before. She always dreamed that they would meet again some day and fall into each others arms, but what if that didn't happen. She quickly tried to push any doubts aside as Jack pulled the car up to the curb of a shabby, secluded house on a dark street.

Jack had called Tony when they were a few miles away to tell him that he was stopping by. He parked the car and looked back at Michelle. "Last chance to back out, Michelle. Are you ready?"

"Absolutely," she assured him.

Jack got out of the car and opened the rear door for Michelle. Audrey would wait in the car with Julia so that Tony and Michelle could have a few minutes together. Jack and Michelle walked along the uneven sidewalk. It was a dark, moonless night and they had to take care not to trip. Jack stepped onto the cement porch and knocked on the door. Michelle stood in the shadows behind him.

"Hey Jack," Tony said as he opened the door. "Come on in. I thought you were bringing Audrey."

"Thanks, Tony. Audrey's in the car," Jack said as he stepped inside. As he did so, Michelle was visible in the doorway.

Tony stood in stunned silence for a moment.

"Hi Tony," Michelle said quietly.

"Oh my God! Michelle," he whispered. "What are you doing here?"

"I came here to see you," she said with a soft smile.

He reached for her hands and pulled her inside and closed the door. He held her face in his hands and caressed her cheeks with his thumbs. Silent tears streaked both of their faces. Michelle stepped closer to him and turned her face up to his. They kissed deeply both of them exhaling a quiet moan.

Jack slipped out the door and went back to the car to get Audrey and Julia. They walked unnoticed back into the house while the newly reunited couple continued to kiss passionately.

Jack cleared his throat quietly to get Tony's attention.

Barely breaking the kiss and without looking up, Tony said, "Later Jack."

Jack smiled at Audrey who could hardly control her laughter. Jack reached over and tickled Julia who let out a quiet gurgle that Tony seemed oblivious to. Jack rolled his eyes at Audrey and tried it again. This time Julia squealed with delight.

"What the…," Tony's sentence trailed off as his eyes came to rest on the baby in Audrey's arms. He stared at her for a moment and then looked back and forth between Jack and Audrey. "I think I can safely assume that this brown eyed, curly haired baby doesn't belong to you two."

"That would be a safe assumption," Jack said with a soft smile.

Audrey stepped forward and as she did the baby reached out for Michelle.

"That's Mama's girl," Michelle cooed as she took Julia from Audrey.

"Tony, this is Julia Rose, our daughter."

Tony said nothing but slowly reached for the baby and took her from Michelle. He lifted her up to his face and kissed her soft cheek. He started walking toward the sofa with her, too filled with emotion to speak. He sat down still unable to take his eyes off of her.

"Oh, Michelle," he whispered. "She's beautiful." Tony shook his head in disbelief as he smoothed her curls. He smiled as she reached up and touched his nose. Michelle sat down next to them.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were pregnant?"

"I didn't know until you were gone. I think she was conceived our last morning together. Remember," she smiled shyly, "we were late for work."

Tony smiled. "Yeah, I remember." He kissed Julia again. "She's incredible, Michelle. Thank you for having her and for taking such good care of her." Tony kissed Michelle's cheek and put Julia on her lap. He stood and walked away.

"Jack, you should have never brought them here. This isn't safe. Now that Michelle knows where I am, she's an accessory. Get them out of here." He turned and looked at Michelle. "Don't come back here. I'll move as soon as I can, I don't want you involved."

"Tony, we're going to be together again, be a family. Jack has a plan. Sit down and listen to what he has to say."

"Do you have a pardon for me?" Tony asked Jack.

"No, Tony, I couldn't arrange that."

"Nothing else is going to make us a family again, Michelle, so you need to leave now." Tony walked to the door and put his hand on the doorknob.

"Tony, sit down," Jack requested. "Listen to what I have to say."

Tony shrugged his shoulders and walked back to the sofa. "Ok, Jack, I'm listening."

Jack outlined the plan. Tony listened quietly but when Jack finished he shook his head. "It's not safe, Jack. In a day or so, Michelle and Julia are going to be reported missing. That isn't going to just make LA news; it's going to make national news. The cable news services are going to pick up on it. Michelle's and Julia's pictures will be seen around the world for weeks, maybe even months. They'll be recognized immediately. No, Jack we can't do this." Tony stood up from the sofa and walked away. "Now get Michelle and Julia out of here."

"Tony, you're right," Jack started. "Yes, this is going to make national news, but it's going to be replaced by another bigger story in the next couple of days," Jack said with authority.

"Oh, really," Tony said sarcastically, "and you know this how?"

"I work for the Department of Defense. We have a major operation in the works that is going to go down the day after tomorrow. We have forces in place to take out a major terrorist cell. The leader of Second Wave is known to be on site. We'll either capture him or kill him. That's going to wipe all other stories out of the news for weeks. It will give us time to get the three of you to a secluded place in the South Pacific where cable news services aren't a problem. We will have to keep you there until the story dies down. Consider it an extended vacation or a second honeymoon. People have short memories, Tony. If you grow a beard and Michelle changes her hair style, no one is going to recognize you. Once it's safe, you'll be moved to Australia."

Tony continued to shake his head. "Alright, so you've got that part figured out. I'm not going to take Michelle away from her family forever."

"That's my choice, Tony," Michelle said quickly. "You and Julia are my family. I want to be with you."

"What about your parents, Michelle? You're never going to see them again. Do you understand that?"

"Honey, you're not going to believe this but my mother and I had a conversation not long ago. Julia was sitting up by herself for the first time and I was crying because you weren't there to see it. My mother looked at me and said 'Michelle, if you ever have the chance to run away with Tony, do it. I know you'll never be happy unless the three of you are together, so if you have the chance, take it. Your father and I will understand.' That's the truth, Tony. She told me more than once that she knew how resourceful you were and she was sure you would come back for me some day. Well, 'someday' is today. This is our chance. This is our chance to be together, to be happy. Don't you want us to be together?"

Tony took Michelle's hands in his. "I want to be with you and Julia more than anything in the world. I just don't want you to have to sacrifice everything for me. I don't want you to give up the only life you've ever known because I made the decision to become a fugitive."

"You're a fugitive because of me, Tony. You wouldn't be in this situation if you would have just let Saunders kill me in the first place. I want to be with you, Tony. I want Julia to grow up knowing her father. I want to have more kids and live happily ever after like we always planned. Please, Tony, say 'yes', say you want to leave here together and never look back."

Tony looked into her eyes. "This is really what you want, isn't it?"

Michelle nodded while keeping her eyes locked on his. "More that you can possibly imagine."

Tony stood and walked around the room staring at the floor. "Then I guess I better pack."

Michelle jumped up and ran to him with Julia in her arms. "Oh, Tony," she cried as she hugged him with her free arm. "I love you so much."

Tony packed a few clothes and some essentials and by 10 o'clock they were packed in the car and on their way to the private air park. The chartered plane was waiting for them and the pilots were completing the preflight checklist. Jack and Tony removed the luggage from Jack's car and stowed it on board the plane.

The government representative that would travel with them for the first leg of the flight introduced himself and explained the route they would take and the stops they would make. They should arrive on a small island in the South Pacific by this time tomorrow. Tony and Michelle could feel waves of excitement swirling through their stomachs as they thought of spending the next several weeks on a tropical island.

It was almost time to go. Michelle tearfully hugged Jack and Audrey goodbye and thanked them over and over again for their help. Tony hugged Audrey and thanked her. He reached out to shake Jack's hand, but both knew that a handshake wasn't enough. They hugged and both were overcome by emotion.

"Are we going to see you two again?" Tony asked him.

"Maybe you could honeymoon in Australia," Michelle suggested.

"Well, maybe we could," Jack agreed with a smile.

Tony and Michelle boarded the plane with Julia and buckled themselves in. They waved to Jack and Audrey through the plane's windows. Jack and Audrey returned the waves until they were told to move from the tarmac.

They stood together in the terminal watching the plane taxi and finally take off. They watched in silence until its lights were no longer visible. Jack closed his arms around Audrey and held her. They looked at each other teary eyed, sad to see Tony and Michelle go, but happy to have played such and important part in making them a family again.


End file.
